Chapter 658: Robbery?

Meng Chuan felt a surge of astonishment upon hearing this.

His resolute refusal stemmed from his readiness to turn hostile. Should that happen, his primordial spirit avatar within the Kunyun Secret Realm would immediately teleport everyone from Cangyuan Realm back to their homeland. Meng Chuan also had arrangements for his grandson, Meng Yu, who had already reached the Monarch level. Furthermore, once he left the Kunyun Secret Realm, with no karmic ties to be traced, it would be difficult for the Demon Eye Guild Master to locate the secret realm.

Every secret realm was created by an Eighth-Tribulation mighty figure. Even a Seventh-Tribulation mighty figure would need luck to find one. Many secret realms in the River of Spacetime remain unowned to this day; even if their general location is known, they simply cannot be found.

Moreover, the Kunyun Secret Realm had been hidden by Ancestor Cangyuan's formations.

As for himself? If they truly fell out, he would naturally use all resources to master the spatial rules as quickly as possible.

His words... had they really made the other party change their mind?

“Your understanding of spatial rules is quite profound; I do have high hopes for you,” the Demon Eye Guild Master said with a slight smile. “So, name your price. I'm willing to buy the opportunity that the Demon Mountain Master gifted to you. I’m not trying to take advantage of you. The Demon Mountain Master’s nature is far more demonic than mine; any opportunity he gives away for free always comes with both fortune and misfortune.”

Meng Chuan looked at the other party.

Name a price?

He indeed had many resources he desired, but they were all held by Seventh-Tribulation mighty figures.

“I wish to cultivate on Clear Stream Island,” Meng Chuan stated. “In exchange for this opportunity, I ask for cultivation time on Clear Stream Island. I don't need much, one hundred years will suffice.”

“Clear Stream Island?” The Demon Eye Guild Master scrutinized Meng Chuan. “You are quite bold in your aspirations.”

“One hundred years is plenty,” Meng Chuan said, not daring to ask for too much.

He certainly wanted it.

Clear Stream Island is the most mysterious cultivation ground in the entire River of Spacetime. It originated from a mysterious clear spring born in the void, which only spread for a hundred miles. Later, an Eighth-Tribulation mighty figure discovered the place and established an island there, with only eighteen cave dwellings on it.

Clear Stream Island limits cultivation to eighteen beings, as more would affect other cultivators.

There are over twenty Seventh-Tribulation mighty figures in the entire River of Spacetime, so competition is naturally fierce. The Demon Eye Guild Master had undoubtedly long since claimed one of the cave dwellings. According to legend, cultivating on Clear Stream Island greatly benefits newly advanced Seventh-Tribulation figures, but offers much less help to top-tier Seventh-Tribulation figures. For masters like the White Bird Pavilion Master and Emperor Wanxing, the benefit is minimal. Therefore, some occupants are willing to cede their spots to other Seventh-Tribulation figures, though these others must, of course, pay a sufficient price.

Some also allow Half-step Seventh-Tribulation figures to use it: you use it for a hundred years, he for two hundred...

Ordinary Seventh-Tribulation figures rarely relinquish their cave dwellings. Most who are willing to do so are the top-tier Seventh-Tribulation figures. For example, the White Bird Pavilion Master and Emperor Wanxing purely keep this resource within their own factions, allowing it to be exchanged for cultivation time based on merit. It has been almost entirely monopolized by the highly meritorious Half-step Seventh-Tribulation figures within the White Bird Pavilion, leaving ordinary members with no hope of going there.

“Alright,” the Demon Eye Guild Master nodded. “However, you’ll have to wait another eighty years. One of my clansmen is currently cultivating there. In eighty years, I will send you a Clear Stream Token, and you may proceed.”

The Demon Eye Guild Master’s smile suddenly turned enigmatic: “Your cultivation time there won't be one hundred years, but... three hundred years.”

“Three hundred years?” Meng Chuan was initially quite satisfied with the deal, exchanging an opportunity with mixed blessings for a tangible benefit. But the other party’s sudden offer of three hundred years left Meng Chuan puzzled, even hesitant to personally accept.

“As I said, I have high hopes for you. Since I rate you highly, it's natural to form a good connection,” the Demon Eye Guild Master said casually. “Do you accept this deal or not? If you accept, quickly give me the method to enter the Abhorrent Bone Land.”

“I accept,” Meng Chuan said without hesitation.

With no harsh conditions, Meng Chuan naturally accepted.

Throughout his cultivation journey, Meng Chuan had always adhered to one principle: he must strive his utmost in cultivation, without the slightest slack.

Therefore, if a great opportunity arose, he had to seize it.

If he slacked off even a little once, then a little again next time... too many times, no matter how high his talent, he would likely have no hope of reaching the Seventh-Tribulation realm.

Even the strongest figures at the pinnacle of the River of Spacetime dared not relax their demands on themselves, unless they deemed cultivation hopeless and began to give up.

With a flick of his hand, Meng Chuan condensed True Essence into a crystal. Within the crystal was hidden the method to enter the Abhorrent Bone Land.

“This contains the method to enter the Abhorrent Bone Land,” Meng Chuan said, tossing the crystal over.

The Demon Eye Guild Master took it and briefly examined it.

For him, helpful cultivation resources in the entire River of Spacetime were becoming increasingly scarce. The Demon Mountain Master was, after all, an Eighth-Tribulation mighty figure, so the opportunity he left might still be of some help.

“Good. In eighty years, the Clear Stream Token will be delivered directly to you in Dongning City of the Three Bays River System,” the Demon Eye Guild Master said before vanishing into thin air.

“Forming a good connection with me? And the benefit in return is three hundred years of cultivation on Clear Stream Island?” Meng Chuan stood rooted, still somewhat surprised. “This Demon Eye Guild Master truly acts in a demonic manner.”

What he had thought was a tribulation had, surprisingly, transformed into an opportunity.

In the void filled with gray mist, the Demon Eye Guild Master walked through it, pondering: “Even for true Seventh-Tribulation figures, when observing their future timelines during their Sixth-Tribulation stage... usually only parts of those timelines would show them reaching the Seventh-Tribulation realm.”

“Before, I intended to hunt down all of Meng Chuan's external avatars and suppress him significantly. Yet, when I observed his future timelines, they *all* still showed him reaching the Seventh-Tribulation realm, and not just an ordinary Seventh-Tribulation one,” the Demon Eye Guild Master mused. “Nearly half of them even suggested he could become a Half-step Eighth-Tribulation mighty figure.”

“Such potential is truly astonishing. Perhaps only the White Bird Pavilion Master and Emperor Wanxing in their youth could compare to him.”

The Demon Eye Guild Master had to admit it. While contemporary Seventh-Tribulation figures were all remarkable, in terms of growth trajectory, the White Bird Pavilion Master and Emperor Wanxing far surpassed other Seventh-Tribulation figures. Now, he felt that 'Meng Chuan' possessed the potential to stand alongside those two.

“Perhaps he could even become a Half-step Eighth-Tribulation figure, or even an Eighth-Tribulation mighty figure. It’s impossible to say,” the Demon Eye Guild Master pondered. “On this cultivation path, besides one’s own cultivation, sometimes forming good connections is also crucial.”

The Demon Eye Guild Master had once stood at the pinnacle of the River of Spacetime and had even ventured beyond the universe, possessing vast knowledge.

He knew that in another universe, there was a cultivator named ‘Xigu’ who had excellent foresight. While still a Fifth-Tribulation figure, he dedicated himself to serving a mysterious individual, following and serving them faithfully from youth to old age, without complaint or regret. Only later did he discover that this mysterious individual was an Eternal Being. Before the Eternal Being departed, they extended Xigu’s lifespan, bestowed a legacy, and personally preached to him. After years of cultivation, Xigu eventually became an Eighth-Tribulation mighty figure.

There were several similar legends.

“While I dare not hope for an Eternal Being, forming a strong benevolent bond with an Eighth-Tribulation mighty figure would yield infinite benefits,” the Demon Eye Guild Master mused inwardly. “This is our first encounter; there will be plenty of time in the future.”

The Demon Eye Guild Master was very old, and his confidence in becoming a Half-step Eighth-Tribulation figure was dwindling. Therefore, he greatly valued anyone with significant potential. As for the White Bird Pavilion Master and Emperor Wanxing, they were currently in their prime, with only one goal: to achieve the Eighth-Tribulation realm.

After the encounter with the Demon Eye Guild Master, Meng Chuan continued his slow walk on the Demon Mountain.

Indeed, there were some changes after the paths of enlightenment and the path of mind merged.

The clarity of the sounds from the mountain peak only slightly improved, but Meng Chuan's primordial spirit became much more ethereal. His comprehension when listening to the sound-characters greatly increased, aiding his understanding of them.

“As my mental will grows stronger, further transformation becomes more difficult,” Meng Chuan also realized.

Since resuming his journey on the Demon Mountain, he had walked over fifty thousand miles, yet his mental will hadn't transformed even once.

“Perhaps the pressure on my mental will has been too low,” Meng Chuan speculated.

Time flowed on.

Meng Chuan walked step by step, still meticulously experiencing the effect of the sound-characters on his primordial spirit. Gradually, the pressure exerted by the sound-characters on his primordial spirit became sufficiently great.

Fifty-six thousand li, fifty-seven thousand li, fifty-eight thousand li, fifty-nine thousand li...

The pressure grew ever stronger.

Yet, Meng Chuan grew more excited, for each character fiercely struck his primordial spirit, causing it to tremble and roar. This allowed Meng Chuan to more clearly discover the weaknesses in his primordial spirit's structure and where his mental will was still lacking.

“Excellent.”

“This is it.” The greater the pressure, the greater the impact, allowing him to see his flaws more clearly. Meng Chuan carefully contemplated and mused over them.

Thus, imperceptibly, as the immense pressure caused Meng Chuan's entire sea of consciousness to rumble and tremble, approaching its limit...

“Myriad Tribulation Stars.”

Meng Chuan's primordial spirit structure had an outer layer of flowing water and an inner core of stars.

The inner stars drew upon the profound mysteries of the 'Primordial Spirit Stars' legacy. This time, Meng Chuan gained a new understanding of 'Primordial Spirit Stars.' Each sound-character was like a tribulation; sometimes, tribulations were not obstacles but rather powerful aids for greater transformation.

With subtle changes in his primordial spirit's structure, his mental will became even more condensed and powerful.

This was Meng Chuan’s first transformation during this renewed journey on the Demon Mountain path, and he had now reached approximately sixty-two thousand li.